


The Past is Bruising, but the Present is no Better

by guccicashew



Category: She-Ra - All Media Types, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, She-Ra: Princess Of Power
Genre: F/F, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Role Swap AU, adora loves catra, but shes dumb, catra is she-ra, catra just wants her girlfriend back, glimmer really didn't sign up for this im so sorry honey, nothing graphic or detailed but its implied its there, shadow weaver is awful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-02 01:18:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16776727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guccicashew/pseuds/guccicashew
Summary: Shadow Weaver finally has Catra in her grasp. Adora fears the worst.A take on episode 9 but with the Cat-ra AU, where Catra finds the sword and becomes She-ra instead of Adora.





	The Past is Bruising, but the Present is no Better

“Shadow Weaver, stop!” 

The scene before Adora seemed straight out of a nightmare. Catra laid bound, eyes wide and terrified, before Shadow Weaver. Something sinister and dark surrounded the two, aiming itself at Catra, as if to strike her. Adora suddenly feared for her friend’s life for the first time in a while. 

“Insolent child! Haven’t you embarrassed me enough? Dishonored me enough? _Inconvenienced me enough?_ Stay back.” 

This is the Shadow Weaver that Adora had come to know in the few weeks following Catra’s absence. Adora had known she could be vile—she had heard her yell at Catra enough times for her to realize her kindness did not go far—but it had never been directed at her. She was the golden child, the good kid, the prodigy. All that had changed when Catra left. 

“Adora. . . ?” 

Adora couldn’t help but cry out again and stumble forward at Catra’s weak call of her name. “Catra!” Her heart was in her throat and her mind was racing. How could she possibly talk Catra out of this one? 

Shadow Weaver turned to her slightly, her eyes nothing but enraged slits behind her mask. Her voice, however, was deadly cold. “Don’t come any closer, Adora.” 

“Please, don’t hurt her! It’s not her fault! They’re using her!” 

A small, breathless laugh emitted from the woman. “Hurt her? I’m not going to lay a hand on her.” 

“Wh--?” 

“I’m going to erase this little. . . rebellious streak entirely. Isn’t that what you want, Adora? For this little chapter to be forgotten? Don’t you want your friend back?” 

A look of horror passed across Catra’s face. It made Adora’s chest tighten. 

“That’s not what I want!” 

“It’s okay, Adora. You can say it. She won’t remember it two minutes from now anyways.” Shadow Weaver sounded almost giddy, like she was enjoying this. Like she was enjoying the terror and pain and suffering that she was inflicting. 

In that moment, Adora understood. 

The many nights where Catra slept in a fitful sleep at the edge of her bed. 

The times where she would skip dinner if Shadow Weaver was present. 

The days where she wouldn’t even show up for training if Shadow Weaver was the one to oversee it. 

Shadow Weaver was an awful, manipulative person. And Catra had been forced to take the brunt of it for years, in silence. Because Adora didn’t understand. Because Adora didn’t see. Because Adora was the _golden child._

Tears built up quietly in her eyes. 

“No. . . that’s not what I want. I would never. . .” 

A shout from behind Adora scared her into her wits. She spun, seeing, for the first time, a disheveled girl fighting against angry red restraints, most likely again the work of Shadow Weaver. 

“Enough of this!” yelled the woman, angered. Adora was forcefully pushed back by some unknown force, getting thrown harshly to the ground. Her head was pounding and a sharp pain was making itself known in her chest. She couldn’t push herself up. Everything was beginning to fade away and she hated that she couldn’t stop it. 

The last thought that crossed her mind was of how useless she had been. She had let Catra slip through her fingers again, the moment where it had mattered the most. Deep down, she hoped Shadow Weaver would erase her memories, too. 

“Adora.” 

_Huh?_

“Adora. . .” 

_Is it time for morning training already?_

“Adora! Get up! Please.” 

Adora shot up, spooking the person who was hovering over her. 

“Kyle? What are you doing? What—where are we?” 

The last question had been unnecessary as the events from before flooded back to her. _Catra! Where is she? What happened to her?_

Shadow Weaver’s room was empty, but obvious signs of a struggle still remained. Adora couldn’t tell how much time had passed exactly, but she knew she couldn’t have been out for long. 

Kyle wringed his hands together nervously. “I, uh, I know how much Catra means to you. And, um. Well. I found this.” He picked up something from behind him and sheepishly handed it to Adora. Her stomach twisted. _The sword._

“Catra. Where is she?” Adora demanded, hoping her thoughts were true—that she had managed to escape Shadow Weaver’s, and the Horde’s, grasps once again. 

The path to Catra was an easy one. It was a route they had often taken together when they were younger. It led to the outside. It led to the freedom that she had foolishly ignored for all of their childhood. 

The sword felt heavy in her hand. In her tightly clenched fist was the thing that had ended it all. Ended their friendship, ended Adora’s blissful ignorance, and ended their small, self-centered world. Adora hated this sword, but it was too important to toss into the abyss like she wanted to do. 

Strained, rushed voices of conversation reached her ears. She recognized ones of the voices, she’d be able to pick it out from anywhere. It was a voice she had previously found comfort and warmth in. She didn’t feel that now as she trudged stiffly forwards. 

She stopped in the harsh brightness of an overhead light, revealing herself to Catra and the bound girl from before, Princess Glimmer of Bright Moon. 

“Adora--!” Catra started, but Adora cut her off by lifting the sword up. She stayed stonely silent, unable to trust herself to speak without everything pouring out. She'd love to yell. To scream, to make Catra understand how she had made her feel. How worried she was for her. But now wasn’t the time. 

She tossed the sword across the small gap that separated them. Catra caught it easily. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Giving you the sword back.” 

Catra rolled her eyes. The action was so familiar that Adora’s heart couldn’t help but squeeze a little. 

“Well, yeah. I see that. But _why?_ ” 

Adora was quiet for a moment before sighing. “Because, Catra. You have a duty to fulfill. And you can’t do that without that sword.” 

“But that duty directly goes against your side. _I’m_ working against _you._ ” Catra’s eyes were searching for something inside Adora’s. Adora averted her gaze to somewhere behind the girl. 

“Yeah. Well, maybe my side is wrong.” They were words that had been running through her head since Adora’s first interaction with “She-ra.” However, she had been too afraid to speak them aloud before. They still frightened her, but they needed to be said. 

Hope overcame Catra’s expression. “It doesn’t have to be your side! Come with me. We can kick Horde ass together! I’m sure Glimmer can convince her mom to let you stay in Bright Moon. Oh, you’re gonna love the beds there! You practically drown in them! And the food--!” 

“No, Catra. I’m not leaving. I can’t.” 

“What?! Nothing is binding you here, it’s not like Shadow Weaver is the kind motherly figure that’d you feel bad for leaving behind. Come on, Adora. Dump this place!” 

Footsteps pounded the floors, approaching quickly from behind Adora. She shook her head. “You better go, Catra.” 

Glimmer grabbed Catra lightly by the elbow. “Come on, we gotta move it.” 

The look of hurt and betrayal that marred Catra’s face would haunt Adora for the rest of her life. But she couldn’t accept her invite to leave. She couldn’t then, when the feline girl first found the sword and the safety of the princesses of the rebellion, and she couldn’t now. 

Because the Rebellion didn’t understand. 

An inside job was required to take down the Horde.

**Author's Note:**

> I was previously writing a full multi-chapter story on this concept, but I decided writing stand-alone pieces of individual scenes would be much more easier to produce. If you have a scene you'd like me to give my take on within this AU, go ahead and suggest it, I love these characters and this AU has taken a hold of my heart. Thanks for reading and supporting my writing!


End file.
